The unit of currency in Costa Rica is the colon.

When is the best time to visit Costa Rica? A.

Hi! We (2 couples- I am 58 the rest are early 60s) are travelling to Costa Rica for the very first time in two weeks! I found your website which helped us realize that we couldn’t do everything in 10 full days! Our friends are veteran travelers and we are tagging along.We arrive in San Jose on Feb23 and have booked a hotel near the airport. We will have a vehicle for the entire trip. We have also booked all accommodation except for 2 nights. From San Jose:Feb24-26 (check in-check out) Quepos

Costa Ricans call this wet time of year their winter.

Hi there! I bought your itineraries e-book because this blog was so helpful. We are planning on traveling to Costa Rica next Christmas with our 2 kids who will be 7 and 5. For the 2 week family itinerary I read you recommend Nosara and Manuel Antonio beaches. I see that MA is clearly a highlight in Costa Rica but I’m concerned about how crowded it would be at Christmastime. Do you think it’s worth it to head over there then, or to stay around Nosara for longer instead? Thanks!

Hi Stephanie, We have a Family chapter in our book, , so have a look at that. For snorkeling and diving, that is tougher because the best place for this in Costa Rica––is hard to get to (only accessible by boat or plane) and not recommended with a baby. One good option for this, though, is . It has one of the only places with decent snorkeling right offshore (if conditions are right), and has some beaches with calmer water for your daughter (Playa Cocles has a great spot with tidepools, in particular). This would give you the beach/rainforest experience as well. Hope that gives you some direction!

Costa Rica: A Guide to the People, Politics, and Culture.

Unlike the United States and Canada, where the role of the notary is limited to authenticating signatures, in Costa Rica the notary has extensive power to act on behalf of the state.

Culture and Customs of Costa Rica.

ÒDuring his seventeen-day stay Columbus discovered that some of the Indians were wearing articles made of gold, from which the Spaniards assumed that much more gold was to be found further inland, and they accordingly and optimistically, named the region Costa Rica, meaning Ôrich coastÕÓ (6-7).

What a great help reading this blog has been! We have just over 3 weeks in Costa Rica booked for August and are struggling to figure out what order to visit the places we are interested in. We’d love to see a mix of the Caribbean and Pacific in our time (hopefully 3 weeks is enough…)- would you recommend a particular order first ? Some key stops we would like to squeeze in include Tortuguero(hopefully to see some turtles), Pacuare River, Cahiuti, Drakes Bay, Manuel Antonio and Arenal Volcano. Although having read this post have noticed Drakes Bay may not be so good during August…although we don’t mind a little(lot) rain!

Hi Matt and Jenn,I am a friend of some of the folks you house sat for years ago and she led me to your books (just purchased) and website! Awesome info! Thank you so much! My husband 4 year old son and I are planning a trip to Costa Rica next Feb for approximately 2 months. My husband traveled along the Pacific side years ago and we are definitely interested in staying along the coast especially the Caribbean side. My husband is currently looking at buying a westfalia camper van for sale in Jaco but we are feeling torn over having a home to stay in vs the convenience of a camper van. And obviously the 4 year old factors in to this decision 🙂 we had initially looked at renting a home in Tamarindo for 2 months but I am concerned that we have never been and what if we like another area better? What do you think? Also we do not speak great Spanish but are up for an adventure! What are your thoughts? Thank you so much for your time and I look forward to reading your books!!!!Take care,Carrie 🙂

Thank you! I will ask my partner what he thinks 🙂 If we decide to stay in Uvita, how do we contact you about the tour operator?Lastly, would it be totally crazy to go to Puerto Viejo for 3 days/2 nights?We ruled it out initially because of the weather, but the more I look into it, the more incredible it looks – would love to be able to see another part of the Costa Rican culture.Thanks again for all the helpful information!

(1999).ÒCommunity Development with the Bribri of CostaRicaÓ.

Hi! Thank you so much for your blog, it is amazing!My husband and I are planning our honeymoon in Costa Rica for September, and I understand that September is the rainy season on the pacific side of CR, and that it is more rainy in the south pacific than in the north pacific.